


Lover, Fighter

by whimsicalMedley



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Confrontations, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 09:49:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15749241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsicalMedley/pseuds/whimsicalMedley
Summary: “The team reminds me of that all the time. Honestly, I think I’m just their comic relief. We ended up on some intergalactic game show, and y’know what they called me? The dumb one. Keith said he’d rather be stuck with anyone but me for eternity. And even before that, I…”In which Veronica McClain verbally kicks the asses of the people who hurt her brother.





	Lover, Fighter

**Author's Note:**

> i wish this would actually happen but we been knew that the vld writers suck!
> 
> anyway, enjoy my anger.

Veronica McClain liked to think she was a level headed person. She was always the mediator at home, and she tried to see both sides of the story. There was one thing, however, that would make Veronica explode instantaneously:

Someone messing with her brother.

Lance was never good at sticking up for himself as a kid. He had gotten better at it as they grew up, but he still didn’t do it nearly enough. Veronica couldn’t count the number of times she’d broken some punk’s nose for making fun of her twin brother. Lance wouldn’t do it, so she would.

Mama always said it was because they were twins. She said twins have a very special bond, and that bond was something sacred. Veronica had to agree.

While Lance would never stick up for himself, if someone tried to tease Veronica, he would be in their face right away, daring them to say it again. By the time middle school hit, the entire student body knew not to mess with Veronica and Lance McClain, because there would be hell to pay.

Veronica loved her brother to death. She just wished he loved himself too.

* * *

Veronica hummed to herself as she made her way through the Garrison’s hallways. It was late afternoon, and her duties were over, so she decided to check in on Lance. He had been different; quieter, subdued, and harder to get a laugh out of. It was worrying. Veronica knew Lance, she knew some of it had to be attributed to the fact he’d gone awhile without his antidepressants, but she felt like she was missing something. A sigh escaped Veronica’s lips, and she rubbed her forehead absentmindedly. Maybe she could coax it out of him today.

As Veronica reached Lance’s door, she heard a sniffle behind it. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she knocked hesitantly.

“Lance?”

There was a sharp inhale, and a few seconds later, the door opened slowly.

“Hey, sis! What’s up?” He asked, and Veronica could only stare.

Lance’s eyes were bloodshot, his nose looked red and raw, and his wide smile was wobbling. It would’ve been blatantly obvious to a _stranger_ that he had been crying, let alone a person who had known Lance for literally their entire life.

“What’s wrong?” Veronica asked, stepping forward and brushing the hair out of her brother’s face, “talk to me, Leandro.”

They only called him Leandro at home, or when it was something serious. Lance’s confident expression quickly crumpled, and he suddenly grabbed Veronica and clung to her for dear life. Veronica’s arms wrapped around him automatically, and she gently walked them into his room, shutting the door with her foot.

“Let’s sit you down, c’mon…” Veronica coaxed Lance over towards the bed, ignoring the way her shirt was quickly becoming wet. Lance’s shoulders shook as his breathing came out unevenly, but Veronica managed to get the two of them on the bed, lying them both down.

“Breathe, Leandro. You’re okay. Breathe with me, okay?” Veronica took deep breaths, and was relieved to see Lance trying to match her. Veronica carded her fingers through Lance’s hair, watching his face as they laid next to each other.

After what felt like hours, Lance’s breathing evened out, and his sniffles subsided. Wiping the remaining tears from his face, Veronica whispered, “what was all that about?”

Lance tensed and averted his eyes, but with a stern look from his sister, relented.

“I’m just…I’m sick of not being good enough.” Lance whispered, and at Veronica’s incredulous look, continued, “I mean, the rest of the team? They’ve done such amazing stuff! Pidge is a genius, Hunk can cheer anyone up and is _also_ a genius, Shiro is a literal hero, Keith can kick anyone’s ass, Allura is a strategist and a fighter and just an amazing person, and I’m just…me. The seventh wheel.”

“What makes you think that?” Veronica asked quietly, and the look on Lance’s face made her heart heavy.

“It’s the truth.” Lance replied, his voice so full of hurt and insecurity that Veronica could feel her heart shatter. As Veronica started to protest, Lance cut her off, “the team reminds me of that all the time. Honestly, I think I’m just their comic relief. We ended up on some intergalactic game show, and y’know what they called me? The dumb one. Keith said he’d rather be stuck with anyone but _me_ for eternity. And even before that, I…”

As Lance poured his heart out to Veronica, as he told her all of the things the paladins had said to him, she felt her body go red hot with rage. With every word, Veronica had to keep herself from exploding. By the time Lance had finished, she was shaking with her anger, and as Lance drifted off to sleep, she knew what she had to do.

Tucking Lance in and kissing his forehead, Veronica marched out of her brother’s room, seething.

It was time to break some more noses.

* * *

Veronica found them in the dining hall.

As she marched up to their table, Hunk turned and saw her. The smile on his face died as he saw the fire in her eyes, and he got the attention of the other paladins.

“You have _a lot_ of fucking nerve.” Veronica hissed, and they looked at her in surprise.

“What–” Hunk started, but with a look from Veronica, cut off.

“How _dare_ you speak to my brother like that. How can you call yourselves a fucking family when you treat him like shit, huh? How can you look that boy in the eye and say the things you have? Huh?” Veronica snarled, and the table looked around in confusion. Veronica saw red.

“I just spent an hour in my brother’s room as he cried his eyes out and told me that he thinks that he doesn’t deserve you pricks. He told me the kind of jokes you make at his expense, and how funny you think it is to mock him. Guess what? _I’m not fucking laughing.”_ Veronica continued, “he said he thinks he’s stupid. My brother, one of the kindest, smartest, selfless, and most compassionate people I have ever met told me that he’s the _comedic relief_ of this group. He said that’s all he’s good for, and I think that’s a load of shit. You have five seconds to start explaining before I break your noses. Don’t think I won’t.”

The paladins looked at her with blank stares, but Veronica could see horror setting in.

“If he took things seriously for once–” Keith started, but Veronica cut him off with a shrill laugh.

“My brother takes the important things seriously! Maybe if you didn’t have a stick up your ass all the time, you’d see that not everything has to be serious!” At Keith’s annoyed look, Veronica slammed her hands on the table.

“You listen to me, paladins, and you listen good,” she hissed, “you are going to apologize to my brother. You are going to think long and hard about the things you’ve said to him, and why they were wrong. You are going to stop fucking with him, or I will make sure your lives are hell. He’s _sensitive._ Yeah he seems cocky, but have you ever actually _looked?”_

Veronica turned to Keith, eyes cold, “he confided in you. He told you that he was scared of being the seventh wheel. He trusted you, and you threw that in his face.”

Keith seemed to freeze, and in that moment, Veronica looked over at Hunk.

“You call yourself Leandro’s best friend? Then cut this shit out. _You_ of all people should know better.”

Hunk had the good sense to look upset, and Veronica took a deep breath.

“Fuck with my brother again. _I dare you.”_

And with that, Veronica McClain left the paladins in a stunned silence. She had a brother to go take care of.

**Author's Note:**

> :)
> 
> tumblr: persephones-pyre


End file.
